Meet The New Wynn High Limit

Don't Blush, the new High Limit area at Wynn Las Vegas is nude for... uh.... viewing?

The Admiral is at Wynn today and sent us these photos of the construction site, which is strangely, and uncharacteristically for the Wynn org, open for all to oogle. And taste... should the flavor drywall dust tickle your palate.

For those who haven't been tracking the Wynn switcheroo, the area we're talking about is the former Blush nightclub spot.

She was ugly from the front.

I wonder what happened to the fake Basquiats. Roger?

Leveling the quick mix for a new something or another, perhaps some fancy tile work.

Is that carpet underneath there the tarp??

This must be a union job.

There you go! The new high limit.... it'll probably be cleaned up and full of slot machines within a week or so... just in time for losing the XMas gift money!

Very strange to have it open like that. I could have just wandered into the site if I wanted to.

FWIW, they're also working outside, though it looks minor.

Geoff posted on Wednesday, 7th December 2011 - 7:48 pm

wow, it was still all borded up yesterday when i was there. they were replacing another section of carpet on the casino floor (next to the one that was just replaced) also monday they borded up Botero (it was open sunday night) and were working there

It looks great! Wynn is back. Natural light and the fact it's open to casino will bring in players who never entered (or even noticed) former area. Old high limit slot area was very dark with massive wood moldings and chopped-up appearance. Was supposed to add to privacy and exclusivity, but it deterred players, and more importantly, it was hard for staff and players to see each other. This will be a huge improvement.

This is slightly off topic, but it was a thought that's been recurring to me lately so figured I'd add it here (Bear with me, it's a long one, LOL).

For all the praise that is constantly lavished on Wynn & Thomas for their design skills, I think Encore, as it currently is, is something of a failure. Not that it isn't beautiful (arguably it is), but it is that, when they added Encore Beach Club/Surrender, they bastardized their original design and disrupted the flow/layout in an attempt to add a revenue-generating venue over their otherwise well thought out resort layout.

What do I mean? When the original Wynn opened, it's layout was indeed flawless. They still had Tryst on the property, but the way it was situated on to the one side of the lower/lake level, near the entrance, but away from the casino, the tower suites, even away from the shops and most of the other restaurants, etc., allowed Wynn to have a loud, revenue-generating nightclub on the property, yet still in a somewhat secluded pocket of the resort where the club and those it attracted would not distract from the otherwise elegant, and for a strip casino hotel, dare I say serene environment/ambiance they were going for.

With Encore, they dropped the ball not once, but twice...first, with where the positioned XS; by putting it smack in the middle of the shopping concourse that connects the two resorts, they drew the clubbers right into what was essentially the center of the new combined resort. Instead of keeping the clubbers and all the negatives that come with them away from the serious gamblers and older patrons, they created a situation where instead anyone who wanted to walk from Wynn to Encore or do some evening shopping had to encounter long lines of often rowdy, immature acting clubbers in the midst of all the refinement that is/was the original Wynn. Likewise, by placing Botero and XS so close together, they turned Botero into a place that, as I've seen many people mention on this site, into a place that attracts the pre-club crown to it, and this actually has again caused numerous people to recommend against dining at Botero (again, even right here on this site).

As if this design flaw weren't enough, they compounded it when the added EBC/Surrender. The location really couldn't have been a worse choice IMO. I mean seriously, putting a rowdy dayclub and nightclub right in the same neighborhood where the high-limit tables, several other restaurants and bars, and even the elevator access to the Encore tower suites all already were? It's no wonder they recently had to add that electronic key access feature to the Encore tower suites elevators. I mean, they really couldn't have created a situation were they put two usually disparate groups of guests, high-rollers and those in search of fine dining & young, rowdy drunken beach-club/nightclub goers, in direct interaction with each other.

And sadly, I think they're about to do it again with this club/lounge they're putting in the former Alex space. One thing I've read time and time again both on this site and elsewhere is customers talking about how staying to the Tower suites end of the original Wynn property still managed to provide the vibe (i.e. club douche free) the Wynn originally had pre-Encore and EBC/Surrender. Once again, they'll be putting the clubbers in the midst of the high-rolling gamblers, and further destroying the whole "neighborhoods" concept that Wynn & Thomas so highly touted when they were describing the Wynn as originally envisioned and built.

But, if you're still reading after all that, LOL, I will conclude by saying I do think the new high-limit slots area is looking good so far and seems to be a definite improvement over the old one.

Likewise, in relation to my comment above, let's look at Aria in comparison. Many have accused Aria of copying the Wynn's original layout, and I have to agree. To my point above, though, when you look at Aria's layout, where is Haze? Is it right at the foot of the Sky Suites, in the same neighborhood as high-limit Baccarat or Carta Privada? Is it even anywhere near the casino floor? No, it's in the basement, down a flight of escalators, near the North Valet entrance. It seems in aping the original Wynn layout, MGM got it right when nailing down Wynn's original "neighborhoods" concept, a concept that Wynn seems to be continually debasing every time he adds a new daylife/nightlife venue to Wynncore in pursuit of more dollars, ultimately at what seems to be the ever increasing expense of the refined, "5-star/5-diamond" resort he wants it to be...or should I rephrase that as "he used to want it to be?"

To the comments above, I'd say that I get what you're saying, but I have to respectfully disagree.

If the goal is to keep club goers away from the casino, XS is positioned perfectly - under and facing away from the Wynn tower and out toward the golf course. Botero, being run in conjunction with XS by Jesse Waits, creates a synergistic jizz-fest that would give The Light Group a call-your-doctor boner for the ages.

The Encore Beach Club appendage is different. Wynn Resorts was faced with a changing economic climate that meant that Echelon and Plaza (LOL) developments would no longer be contributing foot traffic to an otherwise beautiful porte cochere. The company was losing money and nightclubs were hot. EBC was created to generate revenue at minimal cost and inconvenience to high-end gamblers and to this date I have never seen it affect the scene inside the high limit room. Inside the Beach Club, it's a beautiful space, facing the boulevard it's not pretty to us design nerds, but it is definitely a looming curiosity - a beckoning bordello. On top of this, Surrender and EBC's douche legions are kept out toward the street as well as feeting foot traffic toward neglected Switch Steak (barf).

Us VTers don't really like it, but Encore is douche central. If you look at the numbers, it underperforms against Wynn for $$$. What does it have? Two of the hottest clubs in the meadows, and that's how it is.

Hey, the last sentence of my "call-your-doctor-boner" disappeared. Oh, well. John D's quote stands on its own. A masterpiece of words.

JeffinOKC posted on Thursday, 8th December 2011 - 8:09 am

Stands straight up on it's own? A pillar to balance massive paragraphs on!

Malibugolfer posted on Thursday, 8th December 2011 - 12:23 pm

I must agree with bigdaddyj, to my chagrin. Wynn (Winn?) has either abandoned the original concept or had no choice but to embrace the clubbers. Either way ETS suffers, especially the preferred strip view side.
Now if it happens again at WTS, it will be hard to keep overlooking the changes. Hell, I didn't like it when they got rid of the Piano player in the WTS lobby and that was just the beginning.

Based on what Steve said in the new Wynn Mag, the former HLS slot space will be combined with the WTS lobby to create a new open feel between Red 8 and WTS. So the lounge is basically a lobby bar and it sounds like they're going to open the whole area up to make WTS 'less hidden'. Hmmm.

^Initially I thought that all sounded lame. But, if I'm allowed to run wild in my head a bit - might that lounge be glass and maybe maybe MAYBE it'll allow the daylight from WTS to spill out into the casino a bit? Could be amazing.

Could some of these things being changed also be clues as to where they are going with Cotai? Seems like a total revamp of the Tower suites concept. Wonder what changes are in store are Encore? I guess relocating Surrender is out of the question.